Hazy IPA Image from Rogue

Photo via Dangerous Man Brewing Co.

Welcome to Beer Dabbler’s Freshies, our weekly rundown on the newest beers hitting the store shelves and taproom coolers in Minnesota from your favorite local and national breweries. 

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Baking spice, big and bold imperial stouts…yeah, we’ve got those–But the beer scene offers something for everyone, regardless of the season. New beers as the holiday season encroaches include those high ABV, dark-colored options, but so much more. This week we see a surprising amount of brown ales on tap, both traditional with nutty malt-rich flavors and a few additives, but also a Lagerfest in south Minneapolis, tart sours, minty seasonal sippers, a fruitcake-inspired sour ale, and hop-heavy IPAs.

Here is a showcase of what’s on tap in Minnesota right now.

Each week, the Beer Dabbler team highlights the most tantalizing new beers available across the state that we’re most excited to try. Check out these Top Flights at Dabbler Depot—Click on each image for stock levels.

Invictus Pearsons Nut Goodie Milk Stout 4pk 16oz –  Liquified cocoa nibs, creamy maple nougat, peanuts, and lactose blended with Pearson’s Nut Goodie Bars intertwine to create a milk stout like no other.  Exploding with aromas of chocolatey deliciousness, maple, and roasted nuts. The taste blends nuttiness with luscious chocolate and subtle maple sweetness, culminating in a rich, satisfying finish. 7% ABV

Lagunitas Willettized Coffee Stout 6pk 12oz – 100% Barrel-Aged, 0% Stainless. Brewed using every Highly-roasted malt we could get our hands on and coffee from our buds at Chicago’s-own Metropolis Coffee. Aged in Bourbon and rye barrels from our friends at Willett Distillery. A chocolatey, coffee-y, smoky, Bourbon-y beast of a barrel-aged beer! 13.1% ABV

Barrel Theory All Things Considered Hazy IPA 4pk 16oz – Hazy IPA Pale Ale with a delicious mixture of Citra T-90, Nelson Cryo, and Nectaron hops to deliver an incredibly sippable brew. 7.3% ABV

BlackStack Slopes French Pilsner 4pk 16oz – Très Après Ski, Non? French Pilsner Malt & a kiss of corn, hopped comfortably with French Strisselspalt in the style of the fantastically soft Pilsners of France. Unfiltered & Naturally Carbonated. Cold, crisp, and refreshing, just like a fresh powder run. Put your bootsies on & hit the slopes. Take notice… C’est Bon! 4.6% ABV

Portage Red Nose Holiday Doppelbock 4pk 16oz – Happy holidays everyone. This year, Portage Brewing teamed up with their great friends down at Jack’s Bottle Shop in Rochester, to help them celebrate their upcoming anniversary. What they constructed is the perfect holiday doppelbock, made with complex German malts, Saaz hops, cardamom, and nutmeg. Rich notes of toasted caramel, warm bread, and awakening spices fill the glass, warming you up on cold nights snuggled around the campfire. 8.5% ABV

New beers available this week across Minnesota

Looking for a taste of these great new beers? The icon indicates beers available at Dabbler Depot. Keep in mind—stock is limited! Check dabblerdepot.com or text (651)-802-2112 for availability.

AEGIR Brewing Company

  • Passion Colada Blonde – Tapped in early December.
  • SKÅLIDAY – A seasonal stout, on draft and sold in 32-ounce bottles.

Angry Hog Brewery & Taproom

  • Angry After Midnight – A limited barrel-aged porter with toasted coconut and rich chocolate flavors.
  • Fuzzy Slippers – A seasonal mint stout, on tap now.
  • Peach Cobbler Polar Vortex – A dessert beer inspired by peach cobbler.

Angry Inch Brewing

  • The Balvinchie – The annual winter beer is back.

Arbeiter Brewing Co.

  • Julebukk – At 11.3% ABV, this imperial stout is a nod to Scandinavian tradition and “Is a boozy version of delicious chocolate-covered cherries or a brandy cherry,” Arbeiter says. Also sold in bottles.

Back Shed Brewing Company

  • Dock Holliday – “Our German gose Sour base beer got a healthy dose of Huckleberries and lime. We also cold brewed Hibiscus Beer Tea and blended it in to add a complementary delicate floral facet,” the brewery says.

  • Hybrid Learning – A new graf made with 20% apple juice and 80% grain, this beer hybrid uses a lager yeast for a light, refreshing experience with fruit-forward flavors.

Bad Weather Brewing Company

  • Strawberry Tsunami – Previously at the state fair, this strawberry vanilla lager is on tap in Saint Paul for a limited time.

Bear Cave Brewing

  • Cozy Corner: Patio S’mores – A new infusion, this smoked porter is made with marshmallow, cocoa nib, and graham cracker. 5.9% ABV, 27 IBU.
  • Cozy Corner: Smoked Pineapple and Cinnamon – Another infused smoked porter, this variant has subtle Smoke, lightly tart pineapple, and a background of cinnamon, the brewery says. 5.9% ABV, 27 IBU.

Bent Paddle Brewing Co.

  • Christmas Cookie Cream Ale – A seasonal cream ale with almond, cardamom, and vanilla, on draft at the brewery. 5.0% ABV, 19 IBU.
  • MN Pint Day – A collaborative golden ale available at the taproom in Duluth. 5.3% ABV, 25 IBU.

Burning Brothers Brewing

  • Thom’s Root Beer – A wholesome nonalcoholic soft drink.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

  • Cherry Vanilla Tart – A bright and tart sour ale “Brewed with wheat and oats for a smooth, fluffy base, hopped with Belma and Warrior for a little berry boost and conditioned on tart cherries, sweet cherries, and vanilla,” Dangerous Man explains. Available in 6-packs for a limited time.

  • Mexican Corn Lager – Now available in cans, this beer is made with heirloom corn for a fresh, crisp drinking experience with citrus and tortilla flavors.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

  • Biggie Jumbo – This 10.0% ABV double stout is robust with rich, roasty, and chocolate-like flavors.

Fergus Brewing Co.

  • Holly Daze – A fruitcake sour made with cherry, candied pineapple, apricot, and brown sugar.

Forbidden Barrel Brewing Co.

  • Kegg Nog – On tap and on sale for the month of December.

Foremost Brewing Cooperative

  • Pearple Rain Kettle Sour – A sour ale made with apple, pear, and pineapple puree. 5.0% ABV, 3 IBU.
  • Shelter Coffee Cream Ale – “This cream ale has a coffee forward flavor with a smooth, creamy finish. This is a small batch and will go quickly,” the brewery says.

Imminent Brewing

  • Stefantastico – A new Italian-style Pilsner with floral, herbal, and citrus notes. 5.1% ABV, 30 IBU.

Junkyard Brewing Company

  • Christian Bale Ale – The hop-forward sessionable returns.

  • Dirty Pete and the Dungeon Chiefs – Mosaic and Cryo Ekuanot hops set the tone in this New England-style IPA sold at the taproom.

  • Tony’s Big Show – A double IPA featuring Simcoe and Amarillo hops. Also sold in 4-packs.

  • Ugly Ted – A brown ale with nut and caramel flavors.

Lift Bridge Brewing Co.

Lift Bridge now has a line of THC sparkling beverages, sold in 4-packs.

  • THC Sparkling Beverage: Fruit Cup – Peach, pineapple, pear, grape, and cherry flavors.
  • THC Sparkling Beverage: Limelon – A blend of honeydew and watermelon with a citrusy kick of lime, Lift Bridge says. 5 mg THC.

Lost Sanity Brewing

  • Full Pulp – A double dry-hopped hazy IPA that tapped at the end of November.

Modist Brewing Co.

  • Deepening – A new, limited and big imperial stout, this 14% ABV offering was aged in bourbon barrels and has deep, complex, and rich flavors that include bourbon, caramel, dark cherry, vanilla, and smoke for starters. Available Saturday in 500-milliliter bottles.
  • Hellish Rebuke – Available this weekend, this biere de garde has a light body with light baking spice esters, cherry, and some tartness. 6.3% ABV and available on draft at the brewery on Saturday.
  • Pleasant Premonitions – Available on draft and in cans, this is a double red IPA.
  • Pretty Metal – A dark lager returns, both on draft and in cans. Made with Pilsner malt, roasted barley, midnight wheat, and Hersbrucker and Saphir hops.

New Glarus Brewery

  • Fat Squirrel – The nut brown ale is available now across the Wisconsin border.
  • Scotch Ale – A wee heavy, part of the Thumbprint series.

Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub

  • Doppelbock – Freshly tapped this week, this dark-hued lager offers strong caramel and toffee notes with underlying earthy elements and subtle dark fruits.

Saint Paul Brewing

  • Hold Your Fire – The latest weekly porter infusion, found exclusively at the taproom.

Schell’s Brewery

  • Snowstorm – This year’s winter seasonal is a dark lager made with four varieties of rye.

Shakopee Brewhall

  • Buzzed – An imperial stout infused with hazelnut and coffee. On draft and sold in limited bomber bottles.

Surly Brewing Co.

This year’s variants of the renowned imperial stout are now available:

  • Darkness: Coco Nitro
  • Darkness: Cold Smoked Cherry
  • Darkness: Parker’s Heritage 10-Year Char
  • Heavy Char

  • Mango Axe Man

Thesis Beer Project

  • Victory Lap  –”This old-school pale ale showcases floral, citrus, and pine aromas on top of a slightly sweet malt foundation”, the Rochester brewery says.

Ullsperger Brewing

  • Fall Feels – “This brown ale carries notes of chocolate, caramel, and pumpkin spice,” the St. Louis Park brewery says. 5.7% ABV.

Urban Forage Winery and Cider House

  • O Tannin Bomb – Brewed in 2019, this limited annual release is dry and tannic with oak notes.
  • Winter Spice Cider – Available now, this is made with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger for cider with a chai twist.

Utepils Brewing Co.

  • Bandwagon: Royal Cherry – A new flavor of THC beverage. 5mg THC, nonalcoholic.

Venn Brewing Company

  • Celebrating anniversary number 6, the south Minneapolis will host a lager-centric event featuring:  Pils, Lunch Enthusiast, Stone Cold Fox, Venntastico, Death By Limes, Luna Obscura, and Bull Brand.

Waconia Brewing Company

  • Otto’s Brew Green Tea IPA – Tapped on December 14.
  • Spicy Blood Orange – A five-gallon cask of this orange IPA with blood orange and spice will tap at 11am on Sunday Dec. 17.

Wild Mind Ales

  • Space Madness – Nelson Sauvin, Mega Motueka, and Citra set a hoppy base in a new thiolized brett IPA. 8.2% ABV.

Wild State Cider

  • Birdie – A 5mg THC lemonade drink.
  • Bourbon Barrel Aged Tart Cherry – A limited offering 9.1% ABV cider.
  • Punch Bowl – This cider has added pomegranate, lime, ginger, cranberries and “some other stuff,” the cidery says
  • Secret Apple – A new cider made with local SweeTango apples.

Wooden Ship Brewing Company

  • It Was Ska This Whole Time – A 6.2% ABV Pilsner brewed with Saaz and Huell Melon hops.
  • Munich Lager – A Minneapolis-style German-style Helles lager. 5.1% ABV.
  • Storm’s Coming – Strata and El Dorado hops combine in a hazy IPA. 7.1% ABV.
  • Very Tall Birdhouses– This new IPA is made with Simcoe, Ocho, and CItra hops, pouring at 6.3% ABV.

  • Vienna Lager – A traditionally made Vienna-style lager with notes of malt, bread, and sweetness with a light body. 5% ABV.

Have a new beer we should know about? Send the details to newbeer@beerdabbler.com for inclusion in Freshies.